ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, March 29 2015 – Kellon Bubb was born in Caracas, Venezuela to a Grenadian-Venezuelan mother and Grenadian father. He moved to Grenada at the age of three, one year after the demise of the Grenada revolution.
Kellon attended the St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic School in the tiny village of Pomme Rose in St. Davids parish and subsequently passed the common entrance examination to attend the Presentation Brothers College, the only all-boys Catholic school on the island. It was at Presentation College that he became interested in Journalism, and most of his extra- curricular activities at the school involved literature and the arts. He was a member of the schools debating society, as well as a member of its scout troupe.
Upon graduation from the College, Kellon attended the TA Marryshow Community College, and at that time landed his very first job as a part time journalist with the Grenadian Voice Newspaper.
Upon graduation from the TAMCC, he started working full time with the Voice Newspaper under the very competent tutelage of Mr. Leslie Pierre whose impact on his professional career was most powerful. His career in Grenada spanned more than five years, and he worked in both print and broadcast journalism during that time. The highlight of Kellon’s career has been hos ability to land high-profile One-on –One interviews with notables such as Desmond Tutu, Sir Richard Branson, Baroness Valerie Amoss, and Rosalind Howells of the House of Lords, and Sir Dwight Venner of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank. Kellon also covered the RHS International Chelsea Flower Show where Grenada participated and won several gold and silver medals.
He left Grenada in 2004, just shy of two weeks before Hurricane Ivan, to pursue an Undergraduate Degree in Mass Communications in the Republic of China on Taiwan, and a Master of Arts Degree in New Media, Governance and Democracy with Merit from the University of Leicester in the UK.
Kellon is currently a middle school teacher in the New York area and still engage in freelance journalism covering all things Caribbean. He is also in the process of applying to various American universities with the goal of pursuing a PHD in Political Communication. His ultimate goal is to become a professor of Media and Communication Studies focusing specifically on the role of media agenda setting on government policy in the Caribbean region.
- What do you love most about the Caribbean? – I love our idyllic setting and our creolized and vibrant culture, which defines us as some of the most animated and patriotic people across the world. I think without our beaches and that very strong sense of community, we may not be able to define ourselves as some of the happiest people across the globe.
- What brings you the greatest joy? – I get satisfaction from giving back, and giving back really means the ability to impart knowledge on those who suffer of lack of knowledge, especially to my students whose curiosity for learning always makes me happy. In my free time, I’m also an adrenaline junkie and as such I enjoy such activities as sky-diving, hang-gliding, jet-skiing and bungee jumping.
- What was the happiest day of your life? – The happiest day of my life was meeting and interviewing Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa during his official visit to Grenada. I was really inspired to be in the presence of such a great man who stood and fought with the giants of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. I was really humbled by his sacrifice and by his magnanimity and by his ability to forgive those whose egregious acts of injustice impacted several generations of South Africans.
- What was the saddest day? – Losing my mother to cancer was perhaps the saddest day of my life. My mom had only one son and she worked really hard to ensure that I was comfortable in the short time we were able to spend together. My mom sacrificed so much to put me through school and lost her battle with this deliberating disease three months after my graduation from community college. She is my greatest hero because she demonstrated strength and selflessness in her most difficult of days to ensure that I got what I needed to complete my education
- What is the best advice you’ve been given? – The best advice I’ve been given is to never give up and appreciate the value of perseverance. I was always taught that success is never a destination, but an enduring journey that never ends once there is life.
- What is on your bookshelf? – I love political autobiographies and lately, I’ve been reading Ted Kennedy’s True Compass, Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom, and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. James Baldwin is one of my favorite authors and his book, Giovanis Room is an all-time favorite of mine. As I am passionate about social and restorative justice issues, I’ve also been reading Michelle Alexanders New Jim Crow, and Matt Taibi’s Unequal Justice. Of course, Eric Williams’ Capitalism and Slavery is a book that keeps me grounded in my sense of Caribbean identity. For inspiration, I always turn to Ekhart Tolle’s publications, including my most favourite, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment.
- What charity do you support? – I give to Housing Works, a New York City based non-profit fighting the twin crises of AIDS and homelessness. The charity is well known for its operations, which have recently included outreach to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. I am also a member of the Presentation College Alumni Association here in New York and we give back to our alma mater in Grenada through various year-round fund raising events.
- What is on your bucket list? – I hope to swim with sharks one day, climb Mt Everest and visit the North Pole before the ice melts.
- What is on your perennial to-do list? – I hope to keep working on my dream of becoming a professor and as such I spend a lot of my time doing independent academic research on the inter-sectionality of politics and mass media in understanding how they both impact each other and by implication the wider society.
- Who are your Caribbean heroes? – My Caribbean heroes are Leslie Pierre, Julein Fedon Theopholus A. Marryshow of Grenada Dr. Eric Williams of Trinidad and Tobago, and Toussaint L’Oveture of Haiti.
- Who has had the greatest influence on you up to this point in your life? – I would say my mother has been the greatest influence on my life for reasons stated before.
- Who is on the guest list for your ideal dinner party? – I would love to invite Professor Angela Davis, LGBT Activist, Dan Savage, Senator Peter David of Grenada, and all of the working class farmer and teachers who made my childhood experience in Grenada pure joy.
- What quote do you live by? – “Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their own customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking…” Leo Tolstoy
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you? – I am very passionate about equality issues and have a brutally frank demeanor. I tend to speak my mind and not be politically correct on issues that some might consider taboo. So for example, if I am of the view that your opinions are prejudiced or bigoted, I’d make known my dis-satisfaction of such.
- What is one thing you wish you knew when you were younger? – I wish I had known that the world was a tough place and that I should have stayed in high school longer than I did because growing up can be tough.
- If you had to live your life over again, what one thing would you have changed? – I would change absolutely nothing.
- If I were to ask someone who is fair and objective to describe you, what would they say? – I’m not quite sure. I tend to think I’m a bit polarizing. So for example, religious and more traditional folk may think I’m a bit too radical in my personal opinions on issues of faith and sexuality whereas those who’re more liberal might think I’m too politically correct at times. It really depends on the perspective of the person you ask. Perspective is everything.
- What qualities would you say set you apart from everyone else? – I tend to think I’m a bit of an eccentric person. I love acting on impulse sometimes and have a passion for all things adventurous and risk-averse, as long as I’m not breaking the law.
- What would you want to say to the Caribbean about any one of these: Agriculture, Arts & Culture, Climate Change, HIV/AIDS, Tourism? – Climate Change is the most urgent concern of our time and I believe that not much is being done to develop a long term vision to mitigate the deleterious effects climate change is having and will continue to have on our already environmentally delicate Caribbean space. The urgency of climate change is such that international scientists are predicting mass extinctions of marine life due to the rapid acidification of our oceans. Caribbean economies are so heavily reliant on the sea for its economic survival that these fissures will engender catastrophic consequences that are yet foreseen. In as much as I understand the importance of tourism to our very fragile economies, there would be no tourism in islands where beaches will disappear in less than 100 years. In fact, many beaches are so severely eroded in many parts of the Caribbean including the famous Telescope beach in Grenada that it’s no longer safe for fun-seekers. In other words, Caribbean governments in my view aren’t taking the issue of climate change seriously and they must be held to account for the scant courtesy that is paid to what will fast become an existential crisis in the region.
- Any final words? – Not at this time
